New Zion

The female Terra hit the floor with a thud, her crimson hair falling in front of her face. She didn’t look up as the other Terra students walked by, laughing. One of them had stuck their foot out tripping her while the other had held her hair. It was after final exams at her school. She’d be going to a new high school in the central continent for her final year, where the wolf clan had less influence.

Aria Amarante began collecting her papers and books and started towards the library to turn in her text-books, but thought better of it. She instead went to the bathroom, and hid in one of the stalls for about half an hour. She figured that someone would try to take her books before she could turn them in.

Standing on the toilet seat and looking over the top, she could see that she was completely alone in the bathroom. She crept out and threw her papers in the garbage. She didn’t need them trying to take those away. She knew that they would be left around the school, and on top of that, the papers had her name on them, so teachers would think that she was purposefully making a mess. She opened the door a crack, and peered out into the hallway. Luckily, it was empty.

Opening the door further, she heard a yell, and she took off in the direction of the library. She made it to the library door, hit it, and was captured by the other students. Aria fought as hard as she could, and kept kicking at the library door as one of the students began ripping up her textbooks, while another pulled at her tail, and another tried to get at her ears. The door opened, and the Gym Teacher, a tall, muscular Feline Terra, stepped out. He looked down at them all in contempt. He saw the sheepish looks of the students, Aria’s tear-filled eyes, and the torn up textbooks on the ground.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” He commanded. “There’d better be a good explanation for this, and if there isn’t, then all of you will receive a zero on your exams. By the way, I know what your grades are at, and might I say that none of you can afford to get a zero,” The other students shifted uneasily. One of them stepped forward confidently.

“We happen to be carrying out the will of the Canine Lupus clan. How dare you interfe…” The student began, but his confidence abandoned him with one look from the teacher.

“How dare I what? Do my job? Interfere with your childish games? Save a girl who has done nothing wrong?” The gym teacher’s glare caused them to shift uneasily, as though ready to run. “All of you, excluding Aria, are getting zeroes on your exams. I will forward this information to your teachers, as well as the headmaster,” he began.

“What?! You can’t do that!” The student who had first spoken up interrupted the teacher. The teacher glared at him, and leaned in close.

“Want to try and stop me?” he dared. The student shrank back. “Now, all of you, apologize to Aria,” The students started to blow him off, until he glared at them again. Each took their turn apologizing, then the Gym teacher told them to go to the headmaster’s office. Each one glared at Aria with hatred, as though it was her fault that this happened. “Are you ok, Aria?” the gym teacher asked as soon as the students were gone.

“I’m used to it,” she whispered as she picked up the remains of her books, and walked past the teacher into the library.

“Has this happened before?” he asked when she came out.

“Every day, even when I’m not at school. I can’t even go out to buy groceries. My family told me to stop getting them because it was starting to cost too much money. Well,” she looked up at the gym teacher, her red eyes still graced with tears, a darkness in them speaking more than her words ever could. “I’ll be going to another country anyways, so I won’t have to deal with these animals anymore,” the teacher sighed.

“It’s most likely for the best. Although, to be honest, you were one of my favorite students, and you’ll be missed. In fact, most of the teachers here like you. If you want, I can walk you home. Then you won’t have to worry about being harassed by any more students,” Aria was about to refuse, but the teacher held up his hand.

“I won’t take no for an answer. They’ll attack you, and it’ll be partially my fault that they’ll be so angry with you,” Aria looked at her feet and nodded. “Ok, I just have to talk with the headmaster and tell him what we’re doing, and what happened with those students. Adults have gone after you too, haven’t they?” Aria nodded again. “Ok, then I’ll round up a couple of other teachers as well,” They began walking towards the headmaster’s office. Making it there, the teacher knocked on the door.

“Come in,” a voice bellowed from within. The gym teacher opened the door, and explained what had happened. “They didn’t come here,” the headmaster said, sighing. “Well, I agree with what you’re saying. Go get a couple of other teachers, then walk her home. It’ll be safer that way,” The headmaster finally said. The gym teacher nodded his thanks, and they left. They got the other gym teacher for her grade, as well as the language arts teacher. The other gym teacher was a female from the Rabbit Clan and the language arts teacher was from the Fox clan.

Aria remained silent on the walk home as the other teachers chatted about what they were going to do during the summer, the weather for next week, and current news about what’s going on in the Central Continent. They had tried to include her in the conversation, but she was unresponsive. They seemed to understand that her school years weren’t the greatest, so they avoided talking about school. Aria spoke up when they reached the front of a large, stone-brick wall, with an equally large red gate.

“We’re here,” she said in a quiet voice. The teachers all looked up at the gates in wonder. It was not as large as the head wolf family’s compound, but the Canine Vulpine Head family estate was still pretty big. Aria nodded her thanks, and walked towards the door. It opened with perfect timing, she walked through, and the door closed. Claire Amarante was standing there, waiting.

“How did your exams go?” Aria kept her eyes at her feet. She moved her hair to cover her face. Her eyes were probably still red from her crying earlier when she was attacked.

“Fine. I passed with high enough grades to get into Central High,” Aria responded.

“Why are you hiding your face, Aria? You did well!” Aria continued looking down. “Aria, please look at me, OK?” Aria reluctantly raised her head and looked her sister in the eyes. Her sister’s expression was soft and kind. “You don’t have to worry about them doing anything to you anymore Aria. When you and I go to the central continent, things will be different. There will be Berg Leute, and Humans. They will not be directed by the Wolf clan.

There will be no more need to worry,” she spoke softly, trying to reassure Aria. Aria simply looked back at the ground and began walking into the house. “Everything’s already been packed and sent off to our new home. I suppose you want to say goodbye to the place, and then we can get going. You did say that you wanted to leave right away, right?” Claire called after Aria. She nodded and kept walking.

Stepping into the main house, Aria made her way to her room, and found that most of her stuff was already packed up and moved out. She looked at her dresser. Even her pictures had been packed. Aria walked to her writing desk in the corner, running her hands along the edge. She felt the urge to sit down and start drawing. She had spent many a night at this desk. She walked over to her bed, and sat down on it.

Aria had never really used it since she fell asleep at her writing desk most of the time. Save for the nights she had spent crying, it had been the arms that held and comforted her. After a long sigh, Aria stood up and walked out of the room. She continued poking around the house, visiting all the corners that she had spent time in, all the rooms where she used to play. Aria walked out of the building and froze. The entire staff and the rest of her family were lined up on both sides of the walkway leading to the main entrance.

Aria began walking down the line of people, talking to each and every one of them. Some of them were crying, and Aria did her best not to as well. She put on a smile, and shook their hands and thanked each of them. She was at the end of the line when a strong, but elderly voice spoke from behind her.

“I suppose this is goodbye, isn’t it?” She turned around, and saw her grandfather standing there.

“Grandfather…” Aria began, but he simply shook his head and held out his arms. Aria quickly embraced him, her eyes beginning to mist.

“Don’t cry, my child. You need to be strong. One day, you are going to find someone who will accept you exactly for who you are. You will meet new people, and make new friends. I understand that these years have been hard for you…”

‘Stop, please stop. I don’t know if I can keep myself from crying,’ she pleaded in her mind. Tears began to flow, and Aria buried her face deeper into her Grandfather’s snow white beard.

“And please remember that when you meet him, you have to drag him back here so I can meet him too. One day, you’ll be able to visit here without having to fear anyone. I will make sure of that, ok?” Aria nodded, refusing to let go. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked over her to see her sister standing there. She looked back at her Grandfather. “Don’t worry about us. Besides, it’s not like you’re never going to see us again. You’ve gotta bring your special someone and friends over for us to meet, and we can also go and visit you.

Always remember something for me. Love knows no distance. Now, it’s time to go my child,” He stated softly, gently pushing her away from him. Claire put an arm around Aria’s shoulders, and guided her to the vehicle. They took off down the road towards the Airport to board the plane that would take them to Central City, the capital of the middle continent. From then on they planned to take a train to Northwest City, her new home.

Aria stared out the window as the city passed by. Sadly, the vehicle was known as a Canine Vulpine car, and people knew that Aria was leaving. Terra made rude gestures towards her as they drove by, and this continued all the way to the airport. They arrived luckily without incident, other than the rude gestures. Claire grabbed Aria’s hand and they rushed to get to the terminal. They made it past the booths, and were just about to board the plane when they saw him. A Canine Lupus was following them. Claire looked around more, and saw more of the Canine Lupus beginning to close in. She pulled Aria close.

“Is something wrong, Ma’am?” a guard had walked over. Aria looked up at him and noticed he was human.

“Yes. There are plenty of Canine Lupus here who are following us, and wish us harm. Please keep them away from us,” Claire pleaded. The guard looked at her curiously.

“Are you sure? Why would the Canine Lupus want to hurt you?” Claire rolled her eyes.

“Do you know who I am? I am Claire Amarante! That should be all that I need to tell you for you to understand just how dangerous this situation is!” Claire growled. The Guard blinked twice, and raised his radio to his lips.

“Calling to all Guards who are not Canine Lupus in terminal three, please come to boarding. I am in need of backup. Do not allow any Canine Lupus onto the plane, and keep them away from the boarding area. This is an immediate request for assistance, and it can mean the lives of two innocent people,” there were numerous replies of affirmation, and a few protesting. The outcries from the radio must have been the Wolf guards.

“Thank you so much. I don’t know how I can repay you,” Claire began, but the guard raised his hand.

“It’ll be enough for me if you two can get out of here safely. So, get going,” The guard said, trying to sound and look as cool as possible. Claire smiled, nodded her thanks, and pulled Aria onto the plane. They didn’t see any Canine Lupus as they made their way to their seats, for which they were thankful. Shortly after that, the plane took off.

Aria looked all around the cabin, and saw a variety of people, mostly Terra with a few humans and a Berg Leute couple dotted amongst the other passengers. She still couldn’t see any people from the Wolf Clan, but the rock in the pit of her stomach wouldn’t go away. She raised her head, sniffing at the air, trying to find any trace of them, but there were too many other smells in the cabin.

One human woman was wearing an excessive amount of that foul-smelling spray called ‘perfume’. She never could understand why humans did that. They didn’t have a good sense of smell, so it should be easy to cover up whatever bad smell they wanted to get rid of, or they could simply bathe with flowers in the water. She continued using all of her senses to try and discern the presence of a Canine Lupus, but she simply couldn’t.

The noise from a Berg Leute listening to his music device was far too loud. He’d probably damage his hearing to the point that he’d need a special hearing device. She tried tasting the air, but instantly regretted it. The human woman’s perfume was so strong that it overpowered everything. She could actually taste the perfume itself, causing her to subconsciously scrunch up her face.

“Aria, you don’t have to worry about them here, ok? Stop scanning the room. It is kind of rude, you know,” Claire whispered to Aria. She sighed and nodded, leaning back into her seat.

“Is this seat taken?” Aria partially opened one eye to see who was speaking. She was at the window, so the person was asking her sister. It was a Fox, the same kind as her mother.

“No, it’s open. You can sit there,” Claire said in a tired voice. Well, she has a right to be exhausted at this point, Aria thought.

“So, what’s your reason for going to the capital? Or is it just a stop along the way?” the Fox asked. Aria looked at her sister, who seemed reluctant.

“Change of schools for my sister,” She finally said. The Fox’s expression changed.

“Break-up with a boyfriend? I can’t imagine that being a good enough reason to move away,” the Vulpine began to jest. Aria could tell that he was simply joking, but it still got to her.

“Her reasons are not for you to know. My sister has been through quite a bit, and had a hard time even getting on this plane. I would appreciate it if you did not try to make light of her situation,” Apparently his words had gotten to Claire as well.

“Sorry, Ma’am. I didn’t know that it was as serious as that,” the Fox apologized.

“If you know that you may have to apologize, then why do you do it in the first place? And using the excuse of ‘I didn’t know’? What are you, a pup? Try thinking before you…” Aria pulled on her sister’s arm. Claire turned to her. Her eyes held a fire within them, causing Aria to shrink back a bit.

“Claire, you don’t have to. He’s not Wolf clan, and knows nothing of our situation. You can’t expect him to suddenly know everything,”

“But he…” Aria held up her hand.

“No. I know that you are tired, so you should rest, ok? The flight is going to be a few hours, so try to sleep. Please?” Claire looked at Aria and sighed.

“Ok, ok. You’re right,” Claire turned back to the Fox, the fire in her eyes had snuffed out. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that in the first place, and I wasn’t thinking. I guess that makes me a hypocrite,” the Fox shrugged his shoulders.

“A sister has the right to defend her sister, so no worries. Besides, it makes us even, doesn’t it?” he said with a disarming smile. Aria let out a sigh of relief. “My name is Haman Hunt. Might I have the pleasure of knowing yours? If you want, you can only tell me your first names,” again, the smile. Aria studied Haman as Claire began talking with him. They mostly talked about insignificant things, like weather, local prices in the towns around the Capital, but mostly Northwest City.

“So, you’re going to be staying in Northwest. Might I recommend a school for your sister?” this one sentence snapped Aria back to reality.

“I never said that we would be…” Claire began, but Haman simply shook his head, smiling.

“We have been talking mostly about things going on in Northwest. You even brought up some stuff about it that a person would only have known if they were thinking of moving there,” Aria looked at Claire. She didn’t move, and the look of shock on her face would have been humorous in any other situation. Haman leaned in closer. “You don’t have to worry. I’m on your side. In fact the Lupus have been hunting me for quite some time now,” Claire recovered from her shock, and now her face was contorted in fear, and the fire was back in her eyes.

“Then how are we safe being near you? And if you’re being hunted, then you obviously lied about your name, didn’t you?” Haman laughed, leaning back into his chair.

“Well, your little one there said that I’m not Lupus and that you shouldn’t have to worry about me, which she was partially right on. Firstly, she is right about me not being Lupus. Secondly, you don’t have to worry about me doing anything. However, if the Wolf clan were to find me in the Terra Lands, then yes, you would not be safe around me. But, we are no longer over Terra Lands, we’re over Central Lands, so we have no more need to worry about being a Hunted,” Haman said as he closed his eyes.

“Well, then that means that you can tell me your real name now, doesn’t it?” Claire countered. Aria thought that the way this man was talking seemed a little strange. It was as though his mind was linking things into one sentence when they should be separated. It was almost as though his speech equated into math.

“If you tell me your last name,” Haman smiled. “I mean, since we are no longer in danger, you don’t have to worry about the Wolf clan anymore,” Claire sighed. “What’s a name, anyways?” Claire looked at the man who called himself Haman strangely. Was he actually expecting her to answer? Aria watched carefully as to how her sister would deal with this man.

“It is a means to identify ourselves and others,” Claire finally stated. Haman looked a little excited, almost like a teacher whose student has finally answered him after months of silence.

“Then, if that is all a name is, why do people react so much differently when they are called insults, as opposed to their own name? Are those not simply names as well?” Aria blinked a couple of times. The man had completely changed the topic, which meant that he was in control of the conversation. Once again, the first thing that came to her mind was ‘teacher’. “As opposed to titles. What is so important about being called, say, a teacher as opposed to a principal? Are those not simply names, as well?”

“Well, as for the first question we, as people, do not like it when other people call us something other than our given name. As for Teacher and Principal, those names hold meanings as to where they fit into a community, in this case school. So, being insulted is being labeled. Being called a Teacher or Principal is being titled,” Claire answered carefully. Haman looked disappointed.

“Wrong,” Claire blinked a couple of times, surprised. “Being called a teacher or principal is still a label. Being called Insults is labeling in which you are correct, but being called by your given name is also a form of labeling. Especially if you take into account the meaning of a name,” Claire looked at Haman as if he was crazy. She shook her head.

“What do you do for a job, exactly?” Haman cracked open one eye, looking at her.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” he stated, but it wasn’t in a snobbish voice. It sounded more playful. Aria sniffed the air, and smelled certain hormones coming from Haman’s direction. Aria shook her head.

“Well, are we going to get a name or not?” Claire asked.

“Depends. Am I going to get a name?” She gave him a flat look. “Fine, fine. I was just playing. My real name is Hunter,” Claire continued giving him the look. “Just Hunter. I lost my last name when I was kicked out of the family. Since a last name is rather important for me to find you after the flight, I will also tell you my profession in place of a last name. If it ensures I get your full name,” Claire thought on this. Aria pulled on her sleeve.

“I’m ok with it,” she whispered. Claire nodded.

“I’ll tell you our last name, and then we can trade professions. How’s that sound?” Hunter smiled again.

“You got yourself a deal,” Hunter looked completely serious.

“Amarante is our last name,” Claire said. Hunter nodded after a moment, mouthing the name to himself.

“I work as a teacher at Central High. Rather, I will be working there. That’s the school I was thinking of recommending to you,” Claire and Aria both blinked in surprise. “What? Is a school teacher not worth your time?” Hunter asked in a sad tone. His smile was still there, but it seemed sadder.

“N-No, that’s not it. Aria was going there anyways. We already have the papers in. I’ve spent the last few weeks preparing our new house. I was just a little… surprised,” Hunters happy smile returned.

“Anyways, what’ll you be doing for work?” Aria looked at Claire.

“Well, I don’t really have a job figured out quite yet,” Claire admitted, looking down at her feet. Hunter seemed to be understanding, and simply nodded emphatically.

“Well, I think you would look rather cute in a waitress outfit. I’m sure that there will be plenty of restaurants hiring,” Claire looked sharply at Hunter. He held up his hands. “It’s just an idea. The pay there isn’t half bad either. Plus, Northwest is so prosperous that people will most likely leave a large tip,” Claire raised an eyebrow. Hunter shifted in his seat uncomfortably. She finally sighed and leaned back.

“Well then, since you’ll be working at Central high, please look after my sister,” Claire finally stated.

“I don’t need him to…” Aria began, but Claire held up her hand.

“We need to meet and make new friends, don’t we? Well, we just made one, and don’t you think it would be nice for him if he felt like we trusted him?” Aria looked into Claire’s eyes. She was absolutely serious.

“Ok,” Aria whispered.

“That’s my sister,” Claire whispered back, smiling. She turned back to Hunter and they began talking about things again. Aria tuned them out as she stared out the window.

©2017